[Column] Stop and Think – Is nationalization of Fukushima decommissioning without new invention the right way to go ?

Let’s say electricity is pizza.

In this case, Tepco is the pizza delivery boy.

and this boy has been forced to put out the fire in the pizza shop for 2 years and 6 months.

IAEA is distributing the pizza shop flyer on the street. He never come back. He can’t do anything anyway.

The shop is (actually) owned by the government. The oven is made by GE, Toshiba, Hitachi etc..

 

This is obviously beyond what the delivery boy can do.

However, because he has already been in charge of fire fighting for long, now nobody knows where the bucket is, where the hose is, where the water (poisonous) flowed. This is making it more difficult to accept international help. However, even if they accept the international help, it is very limited what they can do because there is no technology to settle it down.

 

We must invent some technology to put it out as soon as possible. This is what the world needs.

 

but the public opinion is focusing on the nationalization of the decommissioning project as if there were already the technology, and the nationalization would solve everything.

 

I don’t know if we are heading in the right direction.

Generally and historically speaking, nationalization is the magic to make all kinds of the projects beautifully fail.

 

They say nationalization is inevitable because Tepco is in the serious shortage of budget.

However, though I watch and hear all the Fukushima news for 24/7, I haven’t heard “so how much of money is enough to decommission Fukushima.”

 

I’m not saying Fukushima decommissioning shouldn’t be nationalized. I’m just saying we should carefully consider the the side effects of nationalization without the technology development.

 

I think these are the potential side effects.

 

1. Japanese government is likely to introduce the new tax such as “Fukushima decommissioning tax” to make the infinite amount of budget.

2. Japanese government may send ordinary Japan residents to Fukushima for the shortage of Fukushima workers.

3. Disclosure of the plant situation would be strictly restricted and it would be even harder to know what is going on.

4. Neighboring countries would request the government (=Victimized Japanese people) compensation.

 

 

I can’t find the reasons why they wouldn’t do these.

In the end, they may make the international body to take initiative of Fukushima decommissioning project.

but nationalization would be the next phase to go. All of these 4 side effects are crucial. Before we yell at Tepco (The delivery boy), we need to think well.

 

 

You can ignore the truth but the truth won’t ignore you.

_____

Français :

[Édito] On s’arrête et on réfléchit : Est-ce que la bonne route est  la nationalisation du démantèlement de Fukushima sans la nouvelle invention ?

 

Mettons que l’électricité soit de la pizza.
Dans ce cas Tepco est un livreur de pizza.
et ce livreur a été obligé de mettre le feu à la pizzéria pendant 2 ans et 6 mois.
L’AIEA distribue les publicités de la pizzéria dans la rue. Elle n’y va jamais. Elle ne peut rien y faire de toute façon.
La pizzéria appartient (en fait) au gouvernement. Le four est fabriqué par GE, Toshiba, Hitachi, etc…

Il est évident que c’est au-dessus des capacités du livreur.
Cependant, parce qu’il a longtemps été responsable de la lutte contre l’incendie, plus personne ne sait à présent où sont les seaux, où sont les tuyaux, où l’eau (empoisonnée) s’est écoulée. Ça rend les choses plus difficiles pour accepter une aide internationale. Cependant, même s’ils acceptent une aide internationale, ce qu’ils peuvent faire est très limité parce qu’il n’existe aucune technique permettant d’arranger la situation.

On doit inventer une technique pour s’en sortir aussi vite que possible. C’est ce dont le monde a besoin.

mais l’opinion publique se focalise sur la nationalisation du projet de démantèlement comme si on avait déjà la technique et que la nationalisation allait tout régler.

Je ne sais pas si on va dans la bonne direction.
En général et historiquement, la nationalisation est la formule magique qui fait lamentablement capoter tout type de projet.

Ils disent que la nationalisation est inévitable parce que Tepco est en manque grave de finances.
Or, bien que je regarde et écoute toutes les nouvelles sur Fukushima h24 et 7/7, je n’ai pas entendu quelqu’un dire “alors combien d’argent faudrait-il pour démanteler Fukushima.”

Je ne veux pas dire que le démantèlement de Fukushima ne devrait pas être nationalisé. Je dis juste qu’on devrait faire très attention aux effets de bord d’une nationalisation sans avoir développé la technique.

Je crois que les effets de bord potentiels sont ceux-ci :
1. Le gouvernement japonais va probablement créer un nouvel impôt genre “taxe pour le démantèlement de Fukushima” pour lever un budget en quantité infinie.
2. Le gouvernement japonais peut envoyer des habitants normaux à Fukushima à cause de la pénurie de travailleurs.
3. La divulgation de la situation réelle de la centrale pourra être strictement limitée et il sera encore plus difficile de savoir ce qui s’y passe vraiment.
4. Les pays voisins pourraient demander des indemnisations (comme les victimes japonaises).

Je ne vois pas de raison pour qu’ils ne le fassent pas.
Enfin, ils pourront monter un corps international pour prendre l’initiative sur le projet du démantèlement de Fukushima.
mais la nationalisation sera la prochaine phase. Chacun de ces 4 effets de bord est crucial. On doit bien y réfléchir avant de crier contre Tepco (le livreur).

Vous pouvez ignorer la vérité mais la vérité ne vous ignorera pas.

  1. It’s been over 2 years, and the technology has not only NOT been invented, but the most basic application of technology, like building storage tanks for irradiated water, has been mishandled…with everything getting worse by the day, they’ve been out of options and in dire need of international help for a long damn time.

  2. 2 years is sufficient to let a company deal with their own problem. As the problem is bigger than the company, then larger scale co-operation is required. The technological problems with the reactors and SFPs are very difficult. The ecological problem is immediate for Japan.
    I have been looking at bioremediation strategies, not that there are many, but there are some. From something simple letting as much kelp grow in the bay as possible, to make a localised food chain of shellfish, to store the radioactive heavy metals in their shells. Capturing and condensing the low mist from the steaming open reactors, with stainless steel cages built into a wall, with shells and mosses, which bioaccumulate heavy metals. Whatever is steaming on the site is an immediate threat to workers.
    email for pdf file of bioremediation strategy available to anyone who is interested.

    1. 2 years is sufficient to let a company deal with their own problem

      As lori said, tepco is the “delivery boy”, Great way to put it.
      They pushed the buttons and flipped the switches.
      To drive a car, one does not need to know how to repair it.

      When the first reactor building exploded, it was then
      no longer tepco’s “problem”.

      As the cores and rods melted the explosions increased.
      It was then the “driver” decided it was time to leave,
      but was told to go back and fix it by the gov’t

      Not having a clue on how they contacted the manufactors
      for a repair manual. After a good laugh and some awkward silence
      tepco was told
      their is no repar, no manual

      What lori just said I belive is
      No point in getting a new driver
      UNTILL you have a mechanic who knows how to fix the “problem”

      I think your idea would work for the “normal”
      discharge ALL nuke plants put out on a daily basis.
      One reason why they should all be shutdown.

      But in this case, filling the entire bay with shellfish would not
      diminish the radiation level.
      Thats the same as the delivery boy, no matter how many you have
      they just can’t do it.

      This is also way beyond any ability to make a localised food chain.
      This event is already global

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About this site

This website updates the latest news about the Fukushima nuclear plant and also archives the past news from 2011. Because it's always updated and added live, articles, categories and the tags are not necessarily fitted in the latest format.
I am the writer of this website. About page remains in 2014. This is because my memory about 311 was clearer than now, 2023, and I think it can have a historical value. Now I'm living in Romania with 3 cats as an independent data scientist.
Actually, nothing has progressed in the plant since 2011. We still don't even know what is going on inside. They must keep cooling the crippled reactors by water, but additionally groundwater keeps flowing into the reactor buildings from the broken parts. This is why highly contaminated water is always produced more than it can circulate. Tepco is planning to officially discharge this water to the Pacific but Tritium is still remaining in it. They dilute this with seawater so that it is legally safe, but scientifically the same amount of radioactive tritium is contained. They say it is safe to discharge, but none of them have drunk it.

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